A well-managed SMS program can unlock enormous profit for growing brands—we’ve even seen 100X ROI less than two weeks after launching one list. We’ve compiled our tried and true tips and tricks for setting up SMS as a new marketing channel for your brand. If you’re ready to dive into the world of eCommerce SMS marketing, we’re here to help you take the plunge.
Choose Your SMS Platform
The first step in launching a successful SMS marketing program is choosing the right platform. There are a multitude of SMS vendors to choose from, but we recommend Postscript for most eCommerce brands. Postscript nails its product design and execution when it comes to easy-to-configure yet powerful automations, segmentation, analytics, and ROI tracking. We’re also impressed with their white glove support, whether in meetings with their leadership or the responsive in-app live chat. Altogether, their platform provides a seamless, strategic, and simple solution for managing your eCommerce SMS campaigns.
Depending on your business, Attentive and Community are also compelling options. Attentive offers more of an agency experience, allowing brands with limited marketing staff to launch campaigns with less internal management. Community is for creators, allowing an individual to manage a personal SMS list with a focus on engagement and fan communication. These platforms all feature excellent support and robust feature sets. They’re well-managed, too.
Abide by the law
This one’s a biggie. While we love SMS, there is one caveat: the process must be entirely compliant. SMS is a heavily regulated medium, so merchants should be certain they have permission to send their customers texts. Otherwise, the possibility of pricey legal fees could become a very real and unwelcome reality.
With the right research and precautions, this won’t be a problem. By enabling subscribers to opt in or out of communications with visible legal language, you can verify a compliant campaign. Diamond Hook can help to manage implementation and compliance.
Grow your list
Now you’re ready to grow your list. To do so, you’ll have to leverage your existing channels. Have Instagram followers? Email subscribers? Facebook likes? Cross-sell your new SMS offering to your existing base to drive highly engaged users into a streamlined SMS marketing list.
By using your current channels to promote your new SMS list, you can transfer a highly-invested customer list to the new medium. This group will have a terrifically high chance of interacting with your marketing, as SMS open rates typically average 90 percent or greater. In contrast, email campaigns average less than 30 percent. Using your existing channels can create a powerful kickoff for your SMS program—for both engagement and profit.
Perfect your tactics
With your SMS channel live, you’ll need to develop and execute strategic communications with your customers. SMS isn't like other channels. It’s exclusive. You have a direct line to the customer's phone. Respect them, and they’ll respect your marketing.
SMS isn’t like email. Make every message memorable, pleasant, and sparse. Stay conversational and casual. Be helpful. Above all, don’t be annoying.
Like texting friends, SMS is meant to let personality shine. Put your best copywriters on your SMS messages, but also don’t forget to include images sometimes (particularly for product announcements. Sometimes you can announce exciting events to entice action from customers, such as flash sales, new products, or restocks, but you can also share Spotify playlists and write up casual brand updates.
Always include a call-to-action and link to a strategic landing page in your messages. Don’t forget to include UTM links so you can measure campaign results independently from the SMS platform’s analytics. These ROI counters typically measure all revenue associated with SMS subscribers, but you need to measure the immediate conversions associated with the UTM link to set a floor for this optimistic attribution.
In addition to content, timing is extremely important. You’ll want to send campaigns at non-disruptive times of day so as to not annoy your subscribers.
Conclusion
It’s time to get cracking on your SMS marketing. Still have questions? Diamond Hook helps eCommerce brands to manage their SMS marketing, driving high engagement and ever-growing ROI. If you’d like to learn more and get started together, please don’t hesitate to reach out to biz@diamondhook.com.
